Tamale, Ghana

Early settlement

The area of Tamale used to consist of small villages, which were under the kingdom of Dagbon. it was a popular destination of cattle trails in the region.^[9]: 1 In 1907, the British decided to establish administrative headquarters in the area with help from the Dakpema after German officials have taken over Yendi. With the addition of a road in 1920, nicknamed the 'Great North Road', Tamale turned into an important center of business in the Northern Territories.^[11][9]: 2

Throughout the 20th century, the population of Tamale was growing rapidly of people looking for abundant water supply and electricity. This have resulted in massive amounts of land used for infrastructure, threatening residents ability to farm. During this time, a series of disputes between the Gulkpe Na^[a] and the Dakpema for power in Tamale occurred. This is in part due to the British incorporated indirect rule in the town, resulting in the imbalance of power between the chiefs. Although local councils were introduced and indirect rule was discontinued, tension between the chiefs continues even to this day.^[9]

In 1960, Tamale became the capital of the Northern Region after the region had separated from the rest of the north.^[9]: 15

21st century

Air

Tamale is served by Tamale International Airport. Located about 11 km (6 nmi; 7 mi) from downtown Tamale, the airport is mainly used by commercial airlines such as Africa World Airlines and Passion Air which are the only operational companies as of 2024. They run regular flights between Tamale and Accra's Accra International Airport, along with other regional capitals.^[19]

Rapid transport

There are public transports from Tamale to major cities such as Kumasi, Accra, Mim, Ahafo, Cape Coast, Sunyani, Takoradi, Tema, Ho, Wa, Bolgatanga, Elubo, Aflao, and Techiman. They are operated by Tamale's bus rapid transit system, tro-tro, MetroMass, STC Bus Lines, and other privately owned bus companies.^[3]: 6

Buses and taxis

Taxis in the past used to be one of the most popular means of getting around Tamale for visitors to the town until the arrival of the tricycles, popularly called 'Mahama-Cambuu' or 'yellow-yellow'. It rise to popularity due to being cheaper than the taxi despite being more dangerous.^[20] The popular means of travel for locals however is by motorbike.^[3]: 6 Motorbikes are the most used means of transport for the locals. In 2024, a record of 600,032 locals possess motorbikes. Another means of transport are huge buses such as intercity STC, VIP, VVIP among others and these buses are being used every day.

Metropolitan area

Tamale is located in Tamale Metropolitan District, which has an area of about 647 km² (250 sq mi). The district bordered the Sagnarigu District to the west and north, Mion District towards the east, East Gonja District to the south and the Central Gonja District towards the southwest.^[3]: 1

Climate

Tamale has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw). The metropolis usually only experiences one rainy season a year, effecting staple crop farming. During the rainy season, it comes with tiny sunshine with heavy thunderstorms.^[3]: 3 The mean monthly rainfall is about 89 mm (3.5 in) within 95 days of rainfall in the form of tropical showers. The mean monthly temperatures is on average around 34 °C (93 °F) while the minimum monthly temperatures are around 23 °C (73 °F).^{[22]: table 2} The relative humidity in the city is usually the lowest between December and March at 30% while around August it is the highest at 70%.^{[22]: sec. 3.2.2}